Port Douglas & Cairns

Port Douglas and Cairns lie about an hour apart on the coast of Far North Queensland. This part of Far North Queensland is a very popular holiday destination and most visitors staying in either Port Douglas, or Cairns, will visit the same local attractions, including The Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda, Daintree Rainforest, and our beautiful beaches.

Cyclone/Tropical Storm Jasper caused damage in December 2023, in January 2024 the road to Port Douglas was closed, but it has now opened. The road to Cape Tribulation and the main Daintree Rainforest remains closed but Daintree tours are still running to parts of the rainforest south of the river. The water supply has been restored to Port Douglas at the time of writing.

Port Douglas and Cairns Holiday information

You'll find a lot of content on our site about this part of the world because we've lived there for over a decade in total. You'll find things to do, places to go and where to stay in the Port Douglas and Cairns area of Queensland.

We also include nearby places of interest and day trips in the region. This area was home to us as expats and as locals. Our archives and collected blog posts in the Far North of Australia (includes The Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tablelands, Daintree, Cape Tribulation, and Cooktown)

Key posts and great information you'll need for planning your Cairns or Port Douglas vacation, include:

See only Cairns content here

See only Port Douglas content here

If you'd like to see, and book, available activities and tours in the Cairns and Port Douglas region, you can do that here. This link opens in a new tab.

Port Douglas Restaurants With a View

Dining in Port Douglas is made all the better if you can find a restaurant with a good view. A ...
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Port Douglas Beach – Four Mile Beach

Port Douglas has just one beach, Four Mile Beach, but there are loads of other beaches to explore nearby. Another ...
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Cyclones in Port Douglas

In the 15+ years I’ve been living in Port Douglas (intermittently), I’ve never seen a big cyclone. With Cyclone Jasper ...
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What Are The Best Day Trips From Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a pretty resort town in Far North Queensland Australia, roughly an hour north of Cairns, a much ...
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Port Douglas Snorkelling

Port Douglas has some of the best snorkelling in the world, being perfectly located on the Coral Sea, a short ...
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Dog Friendly Hotels and Accommodation Port Douglas

Most of the biggest and best hotels in Port Douglas do not allow dogs to stay, other than assistance dogs, ...
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Best Time To Visit Cairns

The best time to visit Cairns is broadly considered to be Australia’s cooler months, thus avoiding the wet season, tropical ...
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Can You Snorkel Off The Beach in Port Douglas?

Yes, you can snorkel off the beach in Port Douglas at any time of year. In summer “stinger season” there ...
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Port Douglas at Christmas

Port Douglas is pretty popular as a Christmas holiday destination. With Australian long summer school holidays falling over the Christmas ...
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Cairns With Kids

Cairns with kids. Our guide to fun things to do in Cairns with kids. In this post, we cover family-friendly ...
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Things To Do in Port Douglas 2024

There are many things to do in Port Douglas Australia and others near this pretty Australian resort town. Most visitors ...
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Port Douglas With Kids (& Things To Do in Port Douglas With Kids)

Port Douglas Queensland Australia is a beautiful, up-market resort town with easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree ...
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Can You Swim in Port Douglas? (2024)

Yes, you can swim in Port Douglas Australia year-round in the sea from the beach, unless the lifeguards close the ...
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Things To Do In Port Douglas For Free 2024

OK, so Port Douglas isn’t cheap. It’s a high-cost destination in the global travel scene but if you’re trying to ...
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Port Douglas Scuba Diving

There are several options in Port Douglas for Scuba Diving. You can learn to Scuba Dive in Port Douglas, take ...
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A Liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns – What’s it Like?

What’s it live to live, sleep, eat, scuba and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef? We’ve taken 2 liveaboard scuba ...
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Learn to Scuba Dive in Cairns

What’s it like to learn to scuba dive? Our post covers the basics of scuba certification in Cairns Australia and ...
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Things to do in Cairns, Australia

Cairns has numerous great attractions within easy reach of the city and CBD but there are also loads of things ...
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Cairns to Port Douglas 2024

The only way to get from Cairns to Port Douglas is by road (unless you take a helicopter or charter ...
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Car Hire in Port Douglas

Hiring a car in Port Douglas can be quick and easy but during the high season the availability of cars ...
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Port Douglas to Daintree 2024

To the north of Cairns and Port Douglas, you will find the oldest rainforest in the world, the Daintree Rainforest. ...
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Great Barrier Reef Tours From Port Douglas

If you’re looking for Great Barrier Reef Tours from Port Douglas, congratulations, you picked a great place from which to ...
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The Stinging Tree, Gympie Gympie, and Other Dangers of Queensland.

Yes, you read that right we have a stinging tree in Queensland. It’s not just a bit “ouch” it’s more ...
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Fresh Water Swimming Spots Around Cairns and Port Douglas

If you’re visiting the Cairns and Port Douglas region in summer, you absolutely must check out some of our freshwater ...
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Port Douglas Australia Travel Blog

Are you thinking of visiting Port Douglas Australia? Good choice! Port Douglas is a beautiful part of the world and ...
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Best Places to Stay in Port Douglas

In this post we cover the best places to stay in Port Douglas and near Port Douglas. While the best ...
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This is The Beginning. Port Douglas to Kuala Lumpur

This post is from our first day of travel, our first day as a nomadic family, not quite digital nomads ...
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Port Douglas: Leaving it Behind.

This is my last week in Port Douglas, Queensland. Regular readers will know we are British expats and have been living in ...
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Is There a Beach in Cairns? Where to Swim or Cool Off.

Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach ...
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Rusty’s Market Cairns

Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market ...
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Crocodile Spotting in Port Douglas

Yes, we have saltwater crocodiles in Queensland and yes, they can eat you. But mostly they don’t, which is good. ...
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Feeding George The Groper

Want to know what’s top of my “Things to do in Port Douglas” list? Well, I always say that feeding George ...
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Paleo Food In Cairns

Healthy, Delicious Paleo Food In Cairns. We’ve just been on a mission to try the new cafe serving paleo food ...
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Gardening In The Tropics

I’m no expert on gardening in the tropics, I’ve lived here for 5 years, in tropical Queensland,  I’m a British ...
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A Tropical Christmas in Port Douglas Australia

Honestly, I’m confused, my head is a mess. I spent forty-two years experiencing Christmas in winter. December, in my mind, ...
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What’s it Like To Experience a Total Solar Eclipse (Port Douglas) in Photos

We’ve just got back from observing the total solar eclipse at Four Mile Beach Port Douglas, the whole experience was ...
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Being a Beach Cleaning Volunteer with Tangaroa Blue

I’d love to get a long-term volunteer position while we are traveling, but, it’s hard to get into. it’s often ...
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Kookaburra Sausage Snatchers, Lake Tinaroo Wildlife

It’s not unusual to attract wildlife when you’re camping in Australia. Living in the tropics involves plenty of up-close wildlife ...
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Lake Tinaroo, Camping and Catching Yabbies.

A weekend camping on Lake Tinaroo. A great chance to catch Lake Tinaroo redclaw yabbies and mess around on Tinaroo ...
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Helicopter Rides Port Douglas

There are quite a few options in Port Douglas if you are interested in helicopter rides and charters. We live ...
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Living in Port Douglas

This post was written and titled “Living in Port Douglas” when we were planning to escape Port Douglas over a ...
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See Wild Platypus Near Cairns

We saw an Australian animal that less than 10% of all Australians have ever seen near Cairns, the fantastic, and ...
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